Not My Bones Anymore
by idontbelieveinlove
Summary: Chapter 10 Up! Reviews welcome. This story is set 5 years into the future post 'Santa In The Slush' The squints and the FBI agent are faced with lifechanging moments. Brennan left for Peru and then spent the next 5 years in Brazil. also Hodgela
1. Wishing And Hoping

**This is my second fanfic, I've started another one, and that still a work in progress but I just got this idea while I was doing homework and I ditched it. So. . . . I hope you enjoy it, reviews are appreciated. The rating might change, who knows. **

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The door of the diner opened, and as it did, the familiar bell jingled. He was quick to turn around, today he was anxious. It took him a moment to realize that he'd been holding his breath when he let out a disappointed sigh. It was just an elderly couple finding shelter from the snow and looking for a fresh cup of coffee. He turned back to his slice of pie that he hadn't touched; it wasn't the pie that he'd enjoyed. It was the company he enjoyed. It was the company of his favorite squint. As he sat there, hoping, he realized this idea was stupid. Why would she be here? She hadn't called to say that she was coming. Why was he waiting for someone who wasn't going to turn up? She probably didn't even know he was sitting in that diner.

But maybe, this day was different. This day marked the day of his partners' departure. This day, five years earlier, Dr Temperance Brennan left her squad of squints and more importantly, she had left Special Agent Seeley Booth.

Dissatisfied, he pushed the pie away as a sign he wasn't going to eat it. This was stupid. He'd sat at the same stool, ordered a pie and waited. Every year. He had waited. Wishing and hoping.

The door jingled again, and this time he didn't bother to turn around. _She's never coming back. This was her last chance to walk through that door. After this particular day he knew he couldn't wait any longer._

The click of high heels sounded across the linoleum floor and paused beside him. He smelt a woman's spicy perfume and felt a hesitant, but warm hand on his shoulder. He knew who it was.

He turned around and saw her. Angela. She had a huge grin on her face as she brushed snowflakes from her coat before she took it off. She was wearing a revealing low-cut red dress and her hair was pinned up and in ringlets. In her current condition, she still managed to look great. Her smile was quick to fade when she saw his expression.

"Your not ready." she realized and sat down next to him, eager to eat the pie she noticed within arms reach. She picked up a fork and helped herself to the dessert, she was careful not to let a single crumb escape her mouth.

"I have a good hour yet. How do you know if that's even my pie?" he chuckled and checked his watch. He'd been sitting in the same chair since noon. Angela shrugged and noticed that she'd eaten half of the delicious treat.

"Sweetie, I don't care if this pie belonged to the president. I'm sure Jack wouldn't mind sparing a little cash for the sake of little Jack." she glanced down at her belly is distaste for a brief moment. She hated being pregnant. The first few months she'd enjoyed it, apart from the morning sickness.

Now, at least a week away until she was due, she was always uncomfortable, and always needing to pee. Her breasts were swollen, and she dreamt of the days that she could fit back into her old designer clothing. She was worried most of all that her body wouldn't go back to the same way it was almost nine months earlier.

Thinking of this, she pushed the pie away from her reach and turned to the Agent, the fork still hanging from her mouth as she licked the last of the fruity syrup away.

"Does someone need a pep talk?" she asked and placed the fork down on the counter, seeing his glum face. He didn't speak, but forced his charm smile on his face to try and avoid one of Angela's talks.

"Oh come on sweetie, you can tell me what's going on in that hunky head of yours. Are you getting cold feet?" she asked and placed a supportive hand on his forearm. Booth shook his head.

"I don't have cold feet. . . . it's just. . . I . . . ." he didn't want to tell her what he was thinking about. It was five years ago for god sake. He shouldn't be thinking about the forensic anthropologist, she obviously wasn't thinking about him. Well, at least for two years, that was when he stopped receiving the small talk in the emails.

"Booth, this is supposed to be a day to celebrate love. It should be the happiest day of your life. Why do you look so unhappy?" she tried to pry into his thoughts.

"It's stupid. I don't know why I'm doing this. Every damn year . . ." his voice trailed off. He really didn't want to talk about this. Angela waited for a moment and then sighed.

"Okay, you really do need to finish your sentences. I'm good, but I'm not that good. I don't know what's going on up there." she gestured to his head and then glanced back at the pie for a second. Maybe one more bite wouldn't hurt.

"Do you know what the significance of this day is Angela?" he turned to her finally. He did need to talk to someone, even if it was Angela. She was good at talking about relationships.

"Um, yeah, today is supposed to be the most important day of your life." she raised wiggled her eyebrows and a coy smile appeared on her face. She saw that he didn't share her enthusiasm and her face turned glum like his.

"No. Yeah, it is. But . . . today, today five years ago. . ." he went back to only saying half a sentence. He decided the topic was best left alone. Angela finally grasped on what he was trying to say. She let out a sympathetic sigh.

"Oh. This is about Bren." She became silent. Booth shook his head and laughed, trying to brush the subject away.

"I should've never brought her that Christmas tree. If I didn't get that Christmas tree, maybe she'd still be here." he said and headed for the door.

"Booth. Seeley!" Angela called after him. He turned to her and put his hands on his hips. She came to her feet, using the counter as leverage and walked over to him.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"It's time to get married." He said and held the door open for her. She chose not to speak for a moment as she concentrated on trudging through the layer of snow on the sidewalk in her heels. She didn't care that her feet were probably going to freeze off; it was what she did for fashion.

"Booth-" he cut her short.

"Angela." He spoke in a warning tone and helped her with her coat. She smiled.

"I was just going to ask if that was your pie."


	2. Soapy Shower Sex

**Thanks everyone for your reviews. I hope this chapter lives up to your standards. I'm sorry if I get the geography side of this wrong, I've never been to South America.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own bones. **

**Hmmph as if this story isn't depressing enough. **

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It had been a long week. She could feel the beads of sweat running their paths down her face, down her back and down her chest. The heat was unbearable. She unlocked the door to her hotel room where she'd been staying for the last two months. She, along with her team had been called from their excavating in Peru to Brazil. Now she was digging for ancient artifacts and hopefully some remains. She was in the Amazon Jungle, about 80km north of Port Velho.

It was a little cooler inside as she had left the fan on throughout the course of the day.

She dumped her knapsack on the armchair beside the bed and pulled off her white tank top that was caked with sweat and dirt, making a beeline towards the bathroom. The shower was already running. A smile tugged on the corners of her mouth as she pushed the door open.

The smile was fast to fade. There were two bodies in her shower. It was supposed to only be her partner, Harrison Fowler, a forensic anthropologist from England. The man wasn't only her partner; they'd been lovers for at least four months.

With frustration, she pulled back the shower curtain and saw him, soaking and naked, in the arms of somebody else. She crossed her arms defensively and didn't care that she was half naked herself. Harrison looked up at saw her. She pursed her lips.

"Temperance. You're not supposed to be back until at least five." Was all he said. He turned off the shower and turned to her. She eyed him up and down in disgust and then did the same to the person he was with.

"We had to cover it up again, another gang of rebels are headed this way." she told him, her jaw and fists clenched. Workings on these digs were extremely dangerous, many people, mainly rebels, didn't want them there. The rebels often used their excavation plots to dump the bodies of men, woman and children that they had slaughtered.

Harrison picked up a towel and then looked at his partner again. This time she looked different. She looked detached from the world.

"I'm sorry Temperance." He brought himself to say and handed a towel to his shower buddy. She stepped out of the room and took the door handle.

"Harrison, why didn't you just tell me you were gay?" she asked in a calm and even voice, the voice that she used when she examined remains. Then she glanced at the Brazilian man standing next to him before she slowly shut the door. She made her way to the end of the bed and took a few deep breaths before she rummaged through her bag and found a clean shirt.

There was a beeping sound. She received a new email. Ignoring what had happened in the last five minutes she stalked over to her laptop on the desk in the far corner of her room. She sat down and concentrated on her breathing as she looked at her screen.

She couldn't see anything clearly. Tears. Her vision was blurry, all she wanted to do was forget and read her message, anything to get her mind off what had just happened. She quickly wiped her eyes as if she was guilty of crying and focused.

A message from Angela. She clicked it open and tried to concentrate on her breathing again.

_Hey sweetie. Cam told me you've been transferred to Brazil, I heard once you sleep with a Brazilian man you never come back. I'm guessing get all hot and heavy with those men is the reason I haven't heard from you for awhile. If I wasn't the size of an elephant and married to a man that gets off on bugs and slime, I would totally be joining you under the Brazilian sun._

_I'm almost at my due date, and I'm freaking out sweetie. I'm supposed to be pushing out a thing the size of a bowling ball in at least a week. Oh, I've attached the latest ultrasound of little Jack. Aren't you just a proud aunt? I expect you to come visit us once he's born._

_Anyway, I think the power of being the new you is going to Zach's head. He's constantly giving Hodgins and I orders when we get a new case. And I thought you were bad. Its funny though, he's been working on the field for at least a year now when Booth's new partnership with Agent Knowles fell through. I don't know if you know this but Booth was reassigned because the FBI didn't want to work with us squints anymore now that you were gone. Then Zach was called out by Cullen to a scene and he did what you do solved the case. Now he and Booth work together, getting back to the funny part, he barely says a word to Booth. Remember how they were? The special bond, even if Zach isn't allowed to talk to him._

_Speaking of Booth, I have to go and find him, it's his special day today. He's getting married. _

She stopped reading the email. What? She'd never heard that. Booth was getting married. There was an unfamiliar pain in her chest.

_He's getting married._

Nope, she'd read it right. She didn't notice the Brazilian man flee her hotel room. She sat back in her chair and couldn't bring herself to read the last of her email. She needed time to think. Harrison came out from the bathroom with a guilty look on his face and went to speak.

That was when the sound of machine guns rung out around them.


	3. Closing The Book

**Thanks again for the reviews; it's given me inspiration to write. Keep giving them to me, the more reviews I get, the faster the next chapter is posted. It's a cycle people. **

**I don't own Bones. FOX does. That sucks. **

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Songs on the organ echoed through the whole church. It was almost time. Booth could've worn a hole through the floor; he'd been pacing for the last fifteen minutes. The bug and slime guy and the artist exchanged glances and then turned to their friend. Something needed to be done.

"Dude. Five years. Five years since Dr B left us, left you." the words were spoken in a harsh voice. Angela glared at her husband and gave him a shove. He lost his balance for a brief second and then balanced himself on a pew. Booth stole a quick glance at the man and then shook his head.

"What? No. this isn't about Bones. No. Why does everyone assume, every time I'm unhappy, it's about Bones?" he was angry. Angela raised her eyebrows and took a step forward, placing her hand on his shoulder. She was trying to comfort him. He didn't like this and he turned away, heading over to the door.

"Sweetie, you basically said this was about Bren in the diner." She pointed out. Booth's head continued to shake. He turned around in anger, pointing his finger accusingly.

"No, I distinctly remember only saying that today was the day that she left, and that I shouldn't have brought her that Christmas tree. It was a stupid idea. Me, being nervous and maybe just a tiny little bit doubtful on my wedding day has nothing to do with that damn squint abandoning me!" he seemed to think the louder he spoke the more his point would get across. He was angry.

He told her that he would never abandon her. She was his partner, partners are supposed to stick together because they were the center. The center must hold. He also had told her that he'd never betray her. Booth had stuck to his word. It had taken three long years to finally gain her trust, as she had gained his. He'd never thought that Temperance would abandon him. Surely, being abandoned by everyone who mattered the most to her, she could see what she would be doing to him. This had to be her highest sense of betrayal, abandonment, and she'd boarded that plane to Peru without as much as a goodbye. And now, five years on, he was still angry at the woman.

"Okay. Sweetie. I've had enough. We've all had enough." Angela shook her head and then raised her hands in defeat, letting her unbalanced hormones take control. Hodgins nodded in agreement.

"This is about Bren. Stop denying it. You wanted to jump since the first day you meet, and quite frankly, I think you should've. It's too late now, get over it." She was harsh with her words just like her husband was minutes earlier. She crossed her arms over her protruding belly. Booth bowed his head and let Angela keep laying into him. This wasn't the first time she'd yelled at people during her pregnancy, even little things made her angry these days.

He recalled one morning where Zach had been a klutz and split his soda all over one of Angela's artworks that were sitting on her desk. For the rest of that day Angela was hostile at him until she finally snapped at yelled at him, arms flailing as she was ready to attack on the platform, for everyone to see and hear. Booth and Hodgins had just returned from out on the field just as one of the security guards were about to escort her out of the building. Hodgins took her home, and gave her a backrub, ordered in takeout and ran her a hot bath before hurricane Angela finally calmed.

"Its giving you worry lines stressing about what could have been. Face it Seeley, Bren's gone, she's in South America doing her thing. It's what she loves. She's not going to come back." he snapped back to reality. Angela was now speaking in a lighter tone and her eyes showed sympathy. Booth sighed and paced a little more.

"If you love Bren, and not your fiancée, you have to end this. You can't marry somebody if you're in love with somebody else. It's not fair." Angela pointed out the fact. Booth stopped in his tracks and then sat down on the pew. Love? He couldn't be in love with Bones. She was just his partner? Could he? Hodgins sat down next to him.

"For the record, for all the rebound fiancées you could pick, Julia's got the finest ass." Hodgins spoke under his breath only to receive a glare from both his wife and the FBI Agent.

"I'm not . . . . I don't love Bones." Booth was quick to deny.

"Could've fooled me." Angela sat down on his other side and patted his back, relieved to sit down as her feet had begun to ache. Booth looked at Hodgins, then back at Angela.

"I'm serious. I . . . just. . . . . I am not in love with Bones. Hell, if anything I'm pissed off at her. I despise that woman, all the arguing, and her going on about 'alpha male tendencies'. Weren't the two of you angry that she always had to get the last word in? It was like she deliberately went out of her way to drive me up the wall." He remembered and the fury showed in his eyes. Angela let out a chuckle.

"Okay, is it just me or can you see her right now saying I don't know what that means? Booth, you know it's physically impossible for one to drive up the wall, considering the laws of gravity and yada yada yada." Angela managed to make both men smile. Booth's face softened and then he spoke in a small voice.

"She was my partner and she . . . she betrayed me. She abandoned me. She packed her bags and flew away, without even saying goodbye. What kinda partner. . . what kind of person does that?" he asked. Angela could see the hurt in his eyes for the briefest moment, but that was replaced by anger.

"She abandoned all of you." he quickly stood again.

"We were her family. We were her family and she abandoned us. She's just like her parents and her brother. How can you not be angry? She didn't come to your wedding. She's hasn't been here for any part of your pregnancy, aren't you women supposed to do that thing together? Both of you are too calm and . . . you're not angry. If I were you I'd be angry." he tried to tell them what they were supposed to be feeling. Hodgins lowered her head and Angela shrugged.

"I was angry. I was angry for a few months. She didn't tell me that she was leaving either. Then she called. . . . She called me and . . . the moment I heard her voice. . . once I heard her voice, all that anger was gone. She's still my best friend Booth, she always will be." Angela spoke in a tiny voice, and tears welled in her eyes. Hodgins looked at her and took her hands in his, caressing them with his thumbs.

"You know Booth. There's a thin line. There's a thin line between love and hate." Hodgins told him and turned back to his wife who rested her head on his shoulder for comfort. The room became silent. There was no sound of organs anymore. In the next room they could hear people assembling and taken their seats, ready for the ceremony to begin. There was five minutes until Booth was expected to be standing at the altar.

He was supposed to be marrying a caring and amazing woman. There was a woman, in a white wedding dress preparing for her big day a few doors down, ready to take Seeley, in sickness and in health, to have and to hold, for the rest of their lives. That woman loved him and his ten year old son, and that woman accepted his love in return. Then why couldn't he get that forensic anthropologist out of his mind?

They remained in silence for a moment.

"You said Bren was just like her parents." Angela reminded him. Booth's eyebrow knitted together and he nodded. She bit her lower lip in thought.

"And why did Max and Ruth leave their children?" she jogged his memory. Booth thought for a moment and then he scratched the back of his neck.

"They left to protect them," he recalled and then shook his head. Hodgins realized what she was getting at. "Angela I don't know what this means." she rolled his eyes and turned to Hodgins who did the exact same thing.

"You are all beauty and no brains, Jack, maybe you should explain." Angela said and lifted her head from her husband's shoulder.

"She left because she thought she was protecting you." he pointed out. Booth still had a puzzled expression on his face, just like the one Temperance used to wear whenever someone mentioned something about pop culture.

"Okay. Brennan left because she didn't want to hurt you. Maybe she finally realized that the two of you are more than 'just partners.' Maybe she saw how much you meant to her and then she didn't want to ruin your relationship. Maybe she thought it was better you being partners than lovers, she would've wanted you to remember her as a partner, not a failed affair. You know Bren, she has it in her head that she is unlovable and that she can't genuinely love somebody. But it's only because she sets herself up with men that she knows will fail her-" Angela had interrupted Hodgins only to be interrupted by Booth.

"You don't know that." he spat and then paced the room again.

"I'm just trying to think like she does, geez." she shook her head and then Hodgins pulled his cell phone from his pocket.

"And there's only one way to find out. You know, close the book before you open another." He urged, he saw how much Booth was stressing and wanted it to end. Booth sighed and then headed for the door.

"You're right. I need to postpone the wedding. . . postpone it. Then I need to go see her, come face to face with her, I need . . . to see her." he stammered and opened the door. It was now or never. Before Hodgins or Angela could stop him he was off down the hall, pushing past family, friends, and colleagues to get to his fiancées dressing room.

"I was going to say call." Hodgins spoke blankly. Angela turned to him and grinned.

"God I love you." she leant forward and cupped his face with her hands as she gazed into his eyes tenderly. He smiled coyly whilst his own hands trawled for her belly. His mouth eagerly covered hers and her lips parted in acceptance. They didn't notice that they had company until he cleared his throat. Zach was standing in the doorway. The married couple care, they just finished the passionate kiss before they turned to their sheepish colleague.

"Dude. Don't you have somewhere else to be right now?" Hodgins was frustrated. Their sex life had changed dramatically in the last three months, and he'd taken anytime he would with his expectant wife, whether it was in the back of one of his cars on the way to work, or even in Cam's office.

"I'm sorry to interrupt your moment but I need to find Agent Booth, is he already at the altar? I seemed to have temporarily misplaced the rings; he's going to be angry. I searched all over my flat, then I missed the bus because it was running early and Dr Saroyan wasn't answering her cell phone, or her pager, so I was stranded for thirteen minutes, and a man kept staring at my lower torso, which was extremely uncomfortable, and I lost the rings. I temporarily misplaced the rings. Oh, he's literally going to shoot me isn't he?" the horrors of the thought made Zach forget to breathe for a second, until they saw his face go a purple shade.

"Sweetie, breathe." Angela reminded him before he became dizzy with anxiety.

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**So, what do you think? If you think its bad just tell me. I can handle it, just please keep it as constructive as possible. And tell me if you think they're doing something completely out of character, because there are some stories that I've read that I think none of them squints would ever do the stuff suggested. But that's the power of imagination I guess. Anyway, please review, I've just started writing the next chapter, it's going to be in the POV of Brennan kay?**


	4. The Pig And The Smurf

**This chapter was supposed to be posted days ago but my internet connection was playing up. So, you know the drill, read, and REVIEW please. If you think there is something wrong with any of the story just tell me and I'll fix it. Anyway, here you go. I hope I don't disappoint, just like we're all disappointed that we don't own Bones.**

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_That was when the sound of machine guns rung out around them…_

Both Temperance and Harrison didn't think, they just acted on instinct and dove to the floor. The anthropologists covered their heads as a defense mechanism and lay low. Brennan crawled hastily to take cover from under the desk whist Harrison stayed put. The sound was deafening, not the sound of the guns but the native people screaming. Both distinguished the sound of the children, screaming and crying. They heard people shouting orders. Harrison couldn't tell what orders where being yelled; the sound of the guns muffled them.

Then there was the silence. The silence was almost as deafening as the innocent screams. Their breathing was quick and shallow. They had no idea what was going to happen next. The only thing that they knew for sure, if they were found, an American and an English man, they would most probably be tortured until the rebels would get ransom money and then probably killed anyway. Brennan snapped back to reality. She could almost hear the shell casings drop to the ground outside. Harrison started to move.

"What are you doing? You're going to get us killed." She whispered in a hiss. She was terrified. This was by far the most terrifying moment in her life. And she knew, this time, Booth wouldn't come running in at last minute to save her life. This was the one time she wished she had the overprotective agent by her side. Who was she kidding? She always wished that she had Booth by her side. She wished that she was at home, in Washington DC, with her friends, back to the Jeffersonian. She would've been there for Angela and Jacks belated wedding. She would've been there when they found out that they were expecting. She would've been there to see Zach grow into an accomplished forensic anthropologist just as she'd taught him. She would've been there to get to know her father and brother again. And more importantly, she'd still be with her partner, with the only person she truly trusted.

Now, at this moment she felt like she was watching this whole scene in slow motion. Harrison didn't pay any attention to her and crawled over to the open window to get a better look. She looked away for a moment. She couldn't take this. She didn't want to die. She wanted to go home. Temperance finally admitted to herself that she wanted to be at home.

"Harrison." She bit her tongue, trying not to be loud and held her hand over her mouth. She froze in her position as the man peered out the window. He wished he didn't. He saw the rebels. There were at least twenty of them, carrying machine guns and rampaging. There were bodies, strewn through all of his field of vision. Men, women, children and babies. It was the whole village. He gulped, were they the only ones left? That was when he saw Leandro, the love of his life, slumped over the makeshift chair that was outside their door. He saw the pool of blood that drenched his pants, and left a trail down his back where the bullet had obviously exited.

He choked back tears and then glanced at her. She was staring at him; her blue eyes bored their way into his head. He hated when she did that, it was like she wasn't really there with him again. It had happened a lot, whenever he tried to connect with her she'd give him that look and change the subject. She didn't want him. He turned back, to take another look at his lover, hoping for him to miraculously stand up and be fine. Tears began to roll down his face.

Then he saw fire. The village was on fire. The flames licked away at the dry timber, within seconds the whole place was ablaze. Then one of the rebels, probably the leader, the one with the fire on the stick, headed in their direction. He was about to set the hotel of fire.

"We have to get out of here. Now." He decided. Crawling backwards, away from his love was the hardest thing he ever had to do in his life. He noticed that Temperance was already at the other side of the room.

After some thought, she lunged for some small mementos that she carried everywhere from the nightstand and shoved them into her pocket, still keeping low on the floor. _The damn plastic pig and that plastic smurf_. He'd asked her why she'd always have them with her but she'd always change the subject. He'd given up in the end.

"The window." He heard her say as he crawled in her direction. She quickly peered out the window from the other side of their room. All she saw was forest. Dense Amazonian forest. Full of snakes. Full of poisonous snakes. She shuddered and acted fast. The squint hoisted herself out of the window and made a break for the forest. Being bit by a snake seemed way more appealing than being caught and tortured for the rest of her days. She dove behind a tree, hoping a rebel didn't see her. She was in luck. Harrison was by her side now.

They glanced at each other and then ran.

Everything became a blur. Temperance didn't feel the bushes whip against her face. She didn't feel the uneven ground stab her padded feet. All she saw was the blur of the Amazon. She didn't even know if she was alone anymore. She didn't care. Nothing mattered anymore. Her mouth became dry. It was time to stop. The anthropologist went weak at the knees and dropped to the ground.

She was lying on the Amazon floor and took a moment to catch her breath. The world was shaking around her. She closed her eyes and counted to ten before she opened them again. The ground was stable again. That was when the tears arrived. She didn't take the time to look at her surroundings, to familiarize herself. She cried. No, she was hysterical. It was her turn to shake. She cried about everything. She cried about her whole life, being abandoned by the ones that she loved, she cried about feeling worthless and unimportant as she was thrown around the foster system. She cried about being thought of as the socially incapable, cold forensic anthropologist. It was the only way how she knew how to survive. And how was she supposed to survive now? She didn't have Booth to protect her anymore. She realized that he probably hated her for leaving. She knew that she would've hated him if he traveled miles away without a goodbye. She cried even harder. She'd really screwed up.

She sat up slowly and wiped her splotched eyes. She was disorientated. In the fear, she didn't know what direction she'd traveled for, or for how long she'd run. Every direction looked the same. Just dense forest, filled with poisonous animals and undiscovered wonders. She trembled and came to her feet. She was lost and alone. Alone. _where's Harrison? _She couldn't remember if he'd followed her, if he'd gone in the same path as her. She spun around and tried to think on what direction she'd traveled in. Brennan didn't scream as she didn't want to disturb anything. She ran her hands over her damp head and through her hair in stress. She spun around a few more times. She didn't know what to do.

She slumped back down and breathed in deeply.

Her hands fumbled through her pocket and she found what she was looking for. The pig and the smurf. Temperance gazed at them intently and then held them close to her heart. At that moment, she found strength. She believed that she'd find Harrison. She believed that she would find safety. She believed that she'd make it to the airport and get on a plane. She believed that she would make it back to Washington DC, where she'd be home again.

As if on cue, she heard a something behind her. The bushes began to sway and he appeared. She was ready to get up and run again. A figure finally appeared. She let out a sigh of relief as he collapsed next to her, gasping for air. He went through the same cycle she went through at least ten minutes earlier. He closed his eyes and concentrated on his breathing. Despite the fact that a mere hour ago she'd caught him cheating on her, she reached out. There was a comforting tool she learnt from Angela, and placed her free hand on his.

Harrison opened his eyes and looked up at her before he sat up. Neither of them said a word. They were speechless. Moments passed and she looked at him and saw the pain in his eyes. She knew that the man that she'd caught had been killed in the rampage.

"I'm sorry for your loss." She spoke from the heart. Harrison nodded and gazed into her eyes. It took a disaster like this that finally showed him her soul. She finally, in the five years that they'd known each other, she had become vulnerable.

"I'm sorry for your loss too." he said and ran his hand on her forearm. She looked at him with the familiar puzzled expression on her face.

"I don't understand. I don't have any losses." She spoke in the voice she used when she was at work. He shook his head and looked into her vulnerable eyes.

"Temperance. I'm sorry for your loss." He repeated and choked back his own tears. It was like something inside her snapped. She crumpled into his lap and sobbed uncontrollably.

"I've lost everything. I've lost everything." She managed to make a sentence between the sobs.

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**Well, what do you think? Sorry this chapter is a little shorter than the last one but I thought everything that needed to be said was said without giving too much of my precious storyline away. Come on, review. You know you want to . . . **


	5. Fear, Anger And A Flashback

**Sorry about the two week wait guys, I went on a holiday and took my laptop with me wishing I could get on the internet, but no my wishes don't come true. If they did, I'd own Bones and BOOTH. But I don't. Fox does**

* * *

Brennan couldn't sleep that Christmas Eve. It had been along time since she'd ever felt loved, or wanted. The feeling felt new to her, she'd forgotten what it felt like. It felt surreal; she could almost feel her heart melting. _Heart melting? It's scientifically impossible for ones heart to melt based on an emotion. _She tried to think logically, thinking logically made her feel more at ease. This didn't last long enough, her mind wandered again as she wriggled around in her bed. Another feeling arose inside of her. Fear. She was scared of being loved or needed. She was sure that she would disappoint.

Yes, spending Christmas in the trailer with her recently united family was great. Her partner bringing her a Christmas tree was great. But how long was it going to last? Whenever she felt loved or needed, it was quick to end. She'd get abandoned. She didn't know how it was going to happen, but she had become so used to it that in her mind it was inevitable. What's worse was she didn't know how to love them. She'd forgotten how to love.

She didn't know how love like a daughter. She didn't know how to love like a sister. She didn't know how to love like a friend. _Why am I even thinking about love? I don't know how to be a daughter, a sister or friend let alone love them. _Frustrated, she sat up abruptly and slid from the warmth of her bed.

All these reasons, this is why she felt the fear.

She walked out of her bedroom and stood in the darkness of her lounge. It was then that she noticed that her place of residence didn't look like a home. There was no evidence that someone lived there, apart from an ancient artifact she'd picked up on her travels years earlier. There was only evidence of one thing; her apartment showed how much she had closed herself off from the world. Closing herself off from the world was the only way she managed to cope with all her troubles. She'd lasted fifteen years this way, why should she have to change now?

Then she found herself on her sofa, her eyes wandered over to the smurf and the pig that were sitting on her bookshelf. A smile tugged on the corners of her lips as she thought of her partner. Over the last three years they'd become close. She was pretty sure that he needed her, why else would he always go out of harms way to protect her?

He'd made his way under her protective shell and had found the real Temperance Brennan. He needed her. But did he love her? _What am I thinking? Booth's my partner. Oh god. Do I love him? _She froze at the possibility. Sure, she'd become fond of her partner, as a friend. Maybe even a best friend, like Angela. She had noticed that he was quite well structured, and that was it.

But then there was the kiss. Brennan knew that she'd held onto the lapels of his coat a little too long, and she had noticed how soft and warm his lips felt against hers. She recalled their tongues in each others mouths. It was thrilling for her as she was discovering new parts of him. If she hadn't needed to come up for air she knew that she would've kept kissing him. It didn't matter that Caroline Julian was there witnessing the whole moment. She didn't care, and she was pretty sure that he didn't care either; after all, he had taken her gum from her own mouth.

She cleared her throat, as if to stop her thoughts and she stood up. Now she found herself pacing the room. _I can't love Booth. I don't know how to love him. I don't know how to love him right. We don't have the same views in life. He wants marriage. He probably wants more children. He doesn't want me anyway; he made it clear with the line. _She walked into her kitchen and paced. She'd never ever really thought about Booth like this before. Booth was just Booth to her. Booth was the one that hugged her when she got scared, the one who constantly bickered with her, and the one who would show up at any given hour bearing Thai food. He was the one who she knew that would always be there for her, she knew that she could trust him. He was also the one who risked his own life to her save hers and would stop at nothing until he knew that she was safe. _Damn those alpha male tendencies. He probably did this to all his past partners. _She concluded, but that didn't stop the thoughts.

She couldn't clear her head so she made her way out onto her balcony. She didn't care that she was in her pajamas; her feet were in a fresh layer of snow. Snow flakes settled on her shoulders and nested in her hair. She looked over Washington DC, seeing a group of carolers wassailing on the corner of her street.

The familiar feeling of fear filled every cavity of her body. _I can't love. I'm incapable of being loved and loving in return. I don't love Booth. I can't love Booth. _She declared in her mind and then walked back inside. That was when something caught her eye on her table. The tickets to Peru.

She came to a decision. It was time to run. She picked up her phone to call the airline to change for a later booking. Once it was confirmed she made her way to her bedroom to pack her bags. There was a brief moment of doubt as she headed for her front door twenty odd minutes later. She came to a pause and dropped her bags and closed her eyes.

The image of his face came to her head. His warm trusting brown eyes and his charm came to mind in particular. _Maybe I should call him. Talk to him. Tell him what I'm going to do. No. It's his time with Parker. _She thought and shook her head. Still, she found she couldn't move her feet. A minute passed before she could muster up the strength to leave everything and everyone behind.

She spun around and quickly grabbed the novelty figurines and slipped them into her coat pocket before she walked out of her dark apartment. She didn't know at the time that she would be gone for more than a month. She didn't know that she didn't have the strength to face Booth or her father and brother for that matter. She didn't know that leaving would hurt Booth so much. She didn't know that he'd feel so betrayed just saying her nickname made his blood boil in anger.

* * *

The young boy had nuzzled into his fathers chest, his arms draped limply around his neck. Booth felt the boy's unruly blond hair brush the bottom of his chin as he maneuvered on the sofa to get comfortable. The five year old had climbed onto his lap as he was watching 'The Grinch Who Stole Christmas' after their trip to prison to give Bones' family Christmas and then a roast dinner. The boy was tired; he'd had a long day. Booth smiled and gazed at the Christmas tree that was decorated with flashing lights in the corner of his lounge.

_I love my gift Booth. _The words he couldn't get out of his head. She looked so happy when she looked out the window to see the tree. When he saw her in that trailer a few hours earlier he'd noticed something else. There was something different about the squint but he couldn't quite place it. His brow furrowed in thought, something he'd picked up from Brennan when she was deep in concentration as she studied remains.

_I love my gift Booth. _Her voice sounded through his cell phone. Even from the distance that he and Parker were standing, he could vaguely she the shape of her lips. He'd noticed how good she looked before, he wasn't blind. He knew exactly how her lips looked. _Damn, why am I thinking about Bones' lips? There's a line Seeley. The un-crossable line. She's your partner Booth, pull yourself together. _

He let his eyes flutter shut, only to see her face in her office. She'd barely given him anytime to react. He'd been looking at Caroline and the mistletoe. The lawyer couldn't be serious. He then glanced at Bones, only to find her face inches from his. Before he could do anything her lips were pressed forcefully against his. He was definitely caught off guard. He felt her hands pulling on the lapels of his coat, as if she was trying to deepen the kiss so he gave into the temptation, letting his mouth part ever so slightly as her tongue made its way into his. He only returned the favour, wanting to taste the sweetest of her mouth until he had run out of breath. She pulled back and then looked at the lawyer expectantly. Was it merely just a business transaction for her? Of course it had to be, for the both of them. She only kissed him to see her family on Christmas Eve.

He opened his eyes and shook his head. It was just a kiss. He'd kissed plenty of women. Big deal, but he'd never had their kisses played back in his head before. _That's because they aren't my Bones. My Bones? What? No. It's just Bones. _He found himself thinking and then shook his head more furiously. He then realized shaking his head wasn't going to prove anything.

Parker stirred in his arms and he looked down at the boy. It was time to put him to bed. The FBI Agent showed his fatherly side and tucked the boy tenderly into his bed before removing his dinosaur printed shoes. Doing the task didn't take his mind off his partner. He wanted to kiss the woman again. And again. He wanted to discover parts of Dr Temperance Brennan for himself that only few men had ventured before. He found himself shaking his head again as he left the bedroom, leaving the door slightly ajar.

He'd never admitted to himself what he felt about the squint before, but the kiss made his feelings boil over the edge. He sat back down on his sofa and rested his head in his hands. _What am I doing? This is completely irrational. Damnit, now I even think like her._ He groaned and leant back into the leather. _She doesn't feel the same way about me. She thinks of me as a partner. Nothing else. She has been drumming that into everyone's heads over the last three years. But something has changed. When I looked at her in the trailer, I realized it changed. _

That was the moment that Special Agent Seeley Booth realized that he was not in love with Dr Temperance Brennan. That was the moment when the FBI agent realized that what he felt for his Bones ran way deeper than love.

He decided at that moment that after he dropped off Parker to his mothers in the morning he was going to pay Bones a visit.

The snow glistened all around the Medico Legal Lab at the Jeffersonian. Booth parked the SUV and paused. _This is crazy. If I do this there is no going back. We can never be just partners again. She might not be my best friend anymore. Is this worth the risk? _He went to leave. Then he decided he'd just visit her, wish her Merry Christmas. Invite her over for a late Christmas lunch. He then planned it in his mind.

He'd invite her over. She'll complain. There's too much work she needs to catch up on. She doesn't believe in Christmas. He'll say her name softly. She'd glare at him with her blue orbs for a few moments. He'd say something witty and flash his charm smile. she'd roll her eyes and continue to bore into his eyes before she'd raise her hands as a signal of defeat. He'd grab her coat and they'd leave. There was no harm in that.

There was also another plan. He decided that once he takes one look at her, he'd know if the risk was worth it. The risk of walking into her office and seeing her working, then stalking up to her, pushing her swivel chair around harshly and before she has a chance to react, force a kiss onto her lips.

* * *

He made his way up to the doors and swiped his card. Seeley had already been to her apartment, knocked a few times and used his key. If Bones ever found out he'd done that he'd probably loose a limb, she hated him being overprotective. The FBI Agent didn't know that she actually feared of being cared about because she didn't know how to return those feelings. He'd seen that her apartment was empty. Also, he didn't want to call her, he wanted to be a surprise.

In the lab, there were only a few security guards. Everyone was a home, spending Christmas with their loved ones. The man spoke a friendly hello to the security guard and glanced up to the platform. It was weird, not seeing Bones or Zach squinting at some remains with such enthusiasm or any other squint wandering around in a blue lab coat. His pace quickened as he made his way to Bones' office, skipping a few stairs on his way up.

Booth realized what he was doing and slowed down into a walk. He didn't want to seem over anxious. Nearing the door, he could see a silhouette of a woman through the drawn blinds. He grinned, imagining Bones' leaning over the computer engrossed in writing her latest novel. She'd be annoyed that he'd interrupted her, but he didn't care, he loved 'bickering' with the forensic anthropologist. He pushed the door open.

"Hey Bones, fancy seeing you here on Christmas Day-" he stopped midsentence. It wasn't his Bones' silhouetted figure he'd seen through the window. It was the artist. He focus didn't last long on the teary eyed woman who was clutching a wrapped gift meant for Brennan close to her chest. She too had been to Brennan's but to exchange gifts, and worried when she didn't answer her cell so she came to her office.

"She's gone." Angela stated as they stared blankly at the room. There was nothing left in the office that belonged to the squint. All that was left was the furniture and the computer, along with a pencil that was laid perfectly in line with the keyboard. Booth frowned. All the feelings he'd felt moments earlier where gone. All he felt now was anger. Bones had left without saying goodbye. Sure, he'd known about her trip to Peru earlier the day before but it would've been nice if the woman had told him, or everyone else for that matter, that she still planned on leaving and had the courtesy to say goodbye.

Angela slumped down on the sofa and sighed.

"She's gone." She repeated, as if it confirmed the fact. All traces of Dr Temperance Brennan were gone.

* * *

**So, what do you think? Review please . . . then I'll post a new chapter**


	6. Burnt

**Heres the next chapter, in Booth's POV. Thanks everyone for the good reviews. Keep em coming. This chapter has been done in NotePad since my Word crapped out on me so I apologise in advance if there are any typos. I'll try and get a new chapter posted as soon as possible, and I might change this chapter too because I'm not really happy with it. And there will be heaps of geographical mistakes as I've never been to Brazil, so I apologize for that too. Anyway read on . . . . I don't own Bones. Or Booth. **

* * *

The FBI agent had a long time to try and gather his thoughts as he sat on the plane. He felt himself be torn in two. Julia or Bones? Julia or Bones? His fiancée, Julia, had understood when he said he wanted to postpone the wedding. She wasn't angry. Maybe she was having cold feet. He hadn't stayed long enough to ask. The blond had placed a reassuring hand on his tense shoulder and placed a kiss on his cheek.

"_What's a week? We're going to have a lifetime." She spoke simply and had gracefully glided in her off the shoulder wedding dress over to the dresser. The woman carefully removed her earrings and had turned back to him with a grin on her face. He felt guilty. This woman that he was going to marry was amazing and had been there for him in the last sixteen months. But all he could think about was Bones. He didn't mention that the reason he wanted to postpone the wedding was to figure out where he stood with his ex partner. He felt worse, was Julia just going to be seconds if Bones tells him what he didn't want to hear. He couldn't base a marriage on that. Booth gulped and stepped forward to the woman in silence. He always thought that he loved Julia, she was good for him.  
__He took in a deep breath and caressed her cheek and then kissed her forehead. Julia bit her lip and waited for something more to take place and was surprised when he left the room. Even when he did the small gesture, he thought of Bones. He wished that it was her forehead that he'd been kissing all those nights for comfort after a long case.  
__He was still mad as hell at the woman for leaving. She hadn't stuck around for him to kiss her on the forehead. Maybe she didn't want it. That was all the more reason to go and find out. He pulled away from the church, away from his fiancée, away from the squints, and away from his family that would probably disapprove of the actions he was taking._

He then found himself in Porto Velho. He'd been too busy wrapped up in his thoughts to take in his surroundings. The agent took a moment to take it in. the Port was hectic. He saw several houseboats and barges along the dark river. They had no system as to when each ship was to dock. He could hear disgruntled tourists and was glad he'd decided to take a plane to the Port. It would've taken at least three days to get from Sao Paulo to Port Velho and it was time he didn't have. He wasn't in Brazil for leisure.

Booth slapped his arm and found the remains of two huge mosquitoes trying to suck his blood. He looked up to the hazy humid skies and saw swarms of mosquitoes preying on the town. He found his bottle of water in his backpack and took a prolonged sip. He was parched, and after only a few hours in the heat he'd begun to sweat. The man had patches of sweat under his armpits and down his chest and back. He was reminded of how much Temperance loved her work to stay in this kind of environment. He hoped that she'd show this kind of passion for someone, preferably him, instead of focusing it on her work. Booth knew this probably wasn't going to happen, as her work was the only thing that he knew of that she felt safe and comfortable with. Logic was her comfort.

He pushed his way through the crowds, looking for someone to help him. Cam had given him rough directions to the dig but she didn't have any idea where Dr. Brennan and her team were staying. She'd assumed that they were staying in Port Velho. That was all Booth had to go on. As it was almost eight, and becoming dark, Booth thought that the team would be back at their hotel.

He wandered through the town, wishing he'd bothered to learn the languages. Seeley paused to slap away a few more mosquitoes.

"No one is answering the walkie." He distinguished an American voice coming from a 4WD that was parked next to a makeshift market selling fruit. The voice belonged to an African American woman who was swatting the same demons away from her. A tan woman with sleek black hair appeared from behind a pile of bananas and was lugging a bag full of food. She hoisted it into the back of the 4WD and skillfully pulled herself up over into the back with the food. The vehicle was laden with huge bags and sealed containers big enough to fit his body with some room to spare.

"Stop worrying Sarah. You've probably just tuned into the wrong channel again." The tan woman said and smiled, then patted the African American on the back. Sarah swatted another mosquito, this time from her leg and sighed.

"I'm sorry. I'm just sick of Harrison always sending us of to Rio de Janeiro every week. He could get Dr. Grafton and Dr. Paul to do it for once. I'm sick of driving for days to be the damn courier. I'm sick of the mosquitoes and sick of Dr. Brennan." the woman's temper shone through. The tan woman grinned and then laughed.

"Someone's jealous." She sing songed, she'd always known that Sarah had harbored a crush on Harrison since day one. Booth became alert at the name of Brennan. The name had made his heart flutter for the briefest moment which was strange because he still felt infuriated by the squint. He approached the woman just as Sarah turned the key in the ignition. He coolly lent up against the vehicle, turning on the charm.

"I couldn't help but overhear, but did you mean Temperance Brennan?" he asked. Sarah's head snapped in his direction and her eyes glared at him accusingly. Booth didn't want to get on the woman's wrong side and turned his attention to the other woman who had a nicer expression on her face. She outstretched her hand in welcome and he shook it appreciatively.

"Dr. April White, you know Dr. Brennan?" she asked with a warm smile on her face. Sarah sniggered and begun to move the vehicle, almost running his feet over in the process. In a reaction he leapt backwards. Sarah was sick of all the good-looking men going after her colleague. As she looked back on the days she realized that she was being rather childish but she'd never managed to control her jealousy. April's jaw dropped and she shoved Sarah harshly.

"What has gotten into you?" she asked. Sarah didn't have time to answer as Booth came to the window again. He was desperate to get to the forensic anthropologist so he lied partly. What was one more lie? What he was doing to Julia was worse anyway.

"Special Agent Seeley Booth. I have a warrant for Dr. Temperance Brennan's arrest." He said. Sarah took a liking to this and smiled as she cleared some space in the seat next to her. April was unsure about letting him ride along to arrest her mentor but Sarah had already firmly made up her mind.

* * *

There were few hours of small conversation and awkward silences as they struggled through the rough terrain of the Amazon. There was no declared road leading to the dig site or the small village that had welcomed them with open arms. They'd already made faint tracks and had to stick to the bearings that April had carefully marked on the map so they wouldn't go off track. Along the way, Booth could feel April trying to pry for more information on Brennan but he kept to himself. Sarah had been nicer for the rest of the trip, and he could've sworn that she was flirting with him.

All three of them were dumbstruck when they reached the village. The village was lit up by a few embers of the remainders of the nine huts and the makeshift 'hotel', the only place that had electricity. The embers showed the outlines of all the bodies.

"Holy shit." Sarah was the first to speak. The first thing that came to her mind was Harrison's safety. She hurriedly opened the door and went to leap from the 4WD. Booth felt himself slip into sniper mode. He lunged at Sarah's arm and pulled her back into the vehicle.

"Don't move." he whispered and his eyes darted around the site for any site of life. It was moments like this that he wished he had his gun. He wasn't permitted to bring his weapon into Brazil. He then opened his door and crept around the 4WD, motioning for the women to duck down. In fear, they did as they were told. The FBI Agent finally gave the all clear as he scanned the perimeter. There was no life whatsoever.

The two women appeared at his side and they all found themselves staring at the masses of bodies. They were all horrified. April begun to search with tears rimming her eyes. Booth turned away and ran his hands through his aging hair. He'd never thought that she would be in danger. _She could be dead. _He found himself thinking. He shook his head at the idea and turned back to the burnt down settlement. He was half expecting the squint to appear from nowhere, but there was no prevail.

Booth felt his chest tighten and he was overwhelmed with emotions. He didn't know what to feel, or what to do. He slowly made his way around the bodies, looking for the face he hoped he wouldn't find. He didn't want to see her reddish brown hair or those magnificent blue orbs looking lifelessly up at the stars. She wasn't here. He then focused his attention on the women, who were arm in arm checking for survivors.

April's eyes settled on the face of a friend. Dr. Grafton. She recognized his salt and pepper coloured hair and his distinguished face. She pulled herself from Sarah's arms and leapt over a few bodies to get to the archaeologist. Then felt her legs give way when she saw the red stains on his shirt. She felt the sticky and metallic smelling blood seep along her bare legs as her trembling hand reached out to touch the lifeless body. Both Sarah and Booth came to her side and Sarah tried to coax her to her feet. The dark haired woman remained steadfast and she lay down next to her best friend.

"Who would do such a thing? All these people. And Grafton? Grafton was a good man. Who would murder him?" raspy words managed to escape her devastated mouth. Sarah then took a step back and begun to cry.

"I can't see Harrison. Maybe he got away. Maybe he survived." Booth felt the pressure in his chest release. _Yes. Bones and this Harrison guy got away. They saw danger and they got away. She's still alive_. _She's a fighter. She's still alive. _He sighed in relief at the hope, but he needed to see it for it to be real.

"She's with him. Bones is with him." He thought aloud. Sarah looked at him with a puzzled look on her face. Who was Bones? Of course it had to be Dr. Brennan, but why you would give the person you've come to arrest a nickname she didn't understand .She didn't really care at the moment, it was the lest of her worries. The dark skinned woman found herself nodding and she rubbed the weeping April's shoulders.

"We have to go. Searching for him. Them. He could be injured." She decided. Booth nodded in agreement. He wasn't going to be happy until he had his Bones safely in his arms.

Sarah became all action. She rushed to the 4WD and packed the map, flashlights and a few snacks into her bag. She seemed to have it under control so Booth took the task of comforting the hysteric April. It was going to be hard to get her away from the body but he knew that they couldn't leave her alone. Whoever had done this could be back.

The African American woman was back at his side again, and she handed him something familiar. A pistol.

"Where'd you get this?" he asked. The gun could've helped a few minutes earlier when he was securing the area. Sarah slung her bag onto her back and turned on her flashlight. She'd been too upset to think about protection earlier and only remembered it seconds ago.

"It was in the glove box. Grafton brought it." She said and April let out a yelp at his name. Booth didn't ask any questions and checked the weapon over.

"Let's go." he said and looked at the map that Sarah opened. It was time to be Temperance's gun.


	7. A New Life and Lost

**Okay, finally chapter seven. I'm sooooooo sorry for being so late with this. I've smacked my hands for you all. It's a little on the short side but I thought that you guys need to know what's going on back in D.C before we get back to Booth and Brennan. I think keeping Booth and Brennan apart for seven chapters is long enough right? If you play your cards right they might just reunite next chapter!**

_**Chapter Seven: a new life and lost**_

"Julia. What are you doing here?" Cam asked as she skillfully sipped her morning coffee whilst slipping her car keys into her handbag, seeing the blonde woman who was standing uneasily near the entrance of the Jeffersonian. Julia looked a little distressed; she hadn't bothered to change out of her blue scrubs, obviously coming to the lab straight after finishing the night shift. The thirty two year old opened her mouth to speak but no words came out for a moment.

"Where's Seeley? I tried calling him. I mean it's been three days since we were supposed to get married and I haven't heard from him. That's normal right? Please tell me that he and Dr. Addy have just been busy on a case that the FBI is keeping under wraps."Julia hoped aloud. The friendly smile on Cam's face faded. Julia didn't know that he was in Brazil to see Dr. Brennan. She'd just assumed that she knew. Trying to be rid of the awkwardness and to keep out of Booth's business she continued to walk into the Jeffersonian with Julia right on her tail.

"What?" Julia was concerned at the change in Cam's facial expressions.

"You should really talk to Seeley Julia. It's between the two of you." She began to make a beeline for her office. Julia's mouth gaped.

"You know what's going on. I thought he'd call. I thought he loved me. I had doubts too, that's why I agreed to postpone but I still picked up the phone to call him. I've been to the apartment, to the FBI, and they said that he was on honeymoon." She choked back tears. _Why was he doing this to me? Maybe it's too soon for us to get married. Work is hectic, I don't have time to be a wife and mother as well as doing rounds and become a great doctor. I can wait. No I can't. Maybe. . . our relationship was doomed from the beginning. All it was originally supposed to be was a fling after I ended by two year relationship with Greg. He said that he loved me. I thought he was different. All guys are like Greg._

"Julia. You really need to talk to Booth." Cam repeated her words in a firmer tone. She didn't want to be caught in the middle as much as it pained her to see Julia in her fragile state. She and Julia had become quite close since they'd announced their engagement. At first she didn't want to meet another of Seeley's dates, as he'd become quite promiscuous and the women only lasted a few weeks but when the engagement was announced she knew that Julia was around to stay.

"Camille. Please." Julia's urgent tone softened.

"Alright, Seeley's" just as she was about to tell Julia Booth's whereabouts Angela seemed to appear from nowhere with her sketchbook in hand.

"Hey Julia." She spoke chirpily as she'd had a full night's sleep for the first time in a long time and good breakfast that the baby agreed with. Hodgin's didn't seem to be as annoying to her since the postponed wedding. Things were looking up. Julia nodded a hello, knowing that if she spoke tears would follow. Usually she was a strong woman, but not knowing where her fiancée was and losing four victims to a drive by really put her on edge.

"Cam. I've got an I.D for the strangled burnt victim. Maribel Waters, fifty years old. I'm going to send the FBI this via fax." She announced.

"Angela. I thought you were supposed to be on maternity leave." Cam crossed her arms, minding her hot drink as she did so.

"I was. But sitting around a huge empty mansion with nothing to do but wait to pop isn't really appealing to me. Besides, Maribel needed to be put to rest." She concluded and then looked from Julia to Cam. She realized that she'd interrupted an intense conversation when neither of them talked.

"Okay. Well. If Hodgins asks, I'm not here." She said and then hobbled off in the direction of her office. Julia shook her head and then turned away from her supposed close friend.

"Forget it. I'll just try calling him again." she raised her hands in defeat before she walked out of the Jeffersonian. Camille sighed and hated Booth for his decision to leave Julia this way before she turned and walked into her office. There was at least three hours of administrative work with her name on it.

"Zack, I'm just saying once the baby is born, Angela and I think that you shouldn't conduct anymore experiments up in the flat anymore." Hodgins tried to reason with him but he just looked at him with a confused face as they made their way up to the building.

"I do not understand. My experiments are planned," he begun to launch into a huge speech so Hodgins cut him off before he could really get into it.

"Look, dude I know, but sometimes the calculations can be a little off. Do I need to remind you of the time you blew the lawnmower up? I think that it'll put both Angela and I at ease when we know our son is safe at our own home without a chance of being blown to smithereens." Hodgins said as the doors automatically opened for them.

"Statistically speaking," once again, before he could launch into a speech he was interrupted. Hodgins continued to walk into work and hadn't even noticed Zack's disappearance as he was sleep deprived. Angela had been in a good mood sleeping through the night but as a result Hodgins had not. Angela had wriggled and pulled off blankets in her sleep. One moment she was settled on her chest and the next she was on the other side of the bed. It didn't help that Hodgins was somewhat of a light sleeper.

"Hi." Julia was sitting on the bench outside the doors, she'd obviously been crying. Zack was immediately uncomfortable with the situation. Sure, he'd been in the company of Julia before, but never alone. And Booth had talked to Zack about Julia a lot as they'd travelled to and from crime scenes but he'd always ended up saying the wrong thing so Booth just forbade him to speak.

"Hello." He said and his fidgeting hands moved to his pockets. She furrowed her brow at looked at him like he was a little strange so he bowed his head to avoid eye contact.

"I had doubts too. I thought it was a good idea to call off the wedding for at least a month. I have pressure at work and it would've been a huge relief not to have pressure at home as well. I barely have time for myself let alone a husband and a ten year old boy. I had doubts. And I had a rough night and do you know the only thing that I wanted to do? I wanted to go home and curl up with my fiancée then go watch Parker's soccer game. And now I have no idea where he is." She spoke, she didn't care that it was Zack, she wouldn't have cared if it was the Dalai Lama. She needed someone to talk to.

"You do not know where Parker is? I think at this time he'd most probably be preparing for school." Zack spoke. Julia gave him the look again and he shifted from foot to foot.

"I meant Seeley Dr. Addy." She pointed out the obvious and Zack nodded.

"Agent Booth is in Brazil visiting Dr. Brennan." He stated and she looked up at him with tears in her eyes.

"Brazil? Why didn't he tell me? Who is Dr. Brennan?" she had questions that needed answers. Zach opened his mouth to speak but found himself to be interrupted again. He found it rather annoying that he couldn't finish a sentence at all that day.

"I'm gunna be a daddy!" Hodgins bellowed to all that could hear before he placed an excited kiss intended for Angela's cheek that landed on her earlobe. She hobbled from the building and noticed that Hodgins grip had tightened on her arm.

"Sweetie, relax. We have plenty of time. I think that we'll be stuck in the hospital for hours before little Jack arrives." She said and let herself walk a little slower but Hodgins was trying to usher her to the car.

That was when her water broke on the pavement. She looked down and then up at Hodgins with fright. This was really happening. They'd had months to prepare but now that it was really happening she was freaked out. They were going to have a baby boy. They were going to be parents.

"Can we hurry now?" he questioned and she was quick to nod.

"Yes. Open the door. Open the door." Her voice was raised when she repeated herself and Hodgins did was he was told, even if it did look a little clumsy from a distance. Once she was strapped in he kissed her forehead but she hastily pushed him away.

"Just drive Jack." She ordered and he ran to the other side of the car and hopped in.

"We're doing this." He stated and she turned to him and nodded. She noticed the tenderness in his eyes and then lent forward to give him chaste kiss on the lips before leaning back in her seat. With one last glance at her wife of three years he turned the key and they pulled out from the carpark.

"I suppose I am going to have to catch the bus home tonight." Zack thought aloud.

* * *

"The rebels would have left the camp now." She spoke in the familiar monotone voice. He watched her remove her head from his shoulder and looked down at her tearstained face. He nodded and then rubbed his chapped lips before wiping the sweat from his forehead. It had become dark but neither of the anthropologists had taken that into account until that moment.

"Is it safe to head back in the dark?" he questioned in a quiet voice with his British accent evident. In the four and a half years that she'd known the man she had never heard him this quiet and chilled to the bone. She came to her feet and wiped down her muddy knees, noting that it was a mixture of mud and blood as it stung at a touch. She couldn't recall how she'd hurt herself but felt that the injury was the least of her worries.

"It's a chance that we have to take. There could be survivors, and Dr White and Dr Raymond should be have arrived back from getting supplies." She reasoned and then took his hands, pulling him to his feet as well.

"Lets do this." He agreed and looked in the vague direction they'd emerged from before giving her a doubtful look.

"That is the way we came from right?" he had to be sure. She didn't answer as she wasn't sure either.


	8. Andy Lister, Without A Doubt

_**Chapter Eight: Andy Lister, Without A Doubt**_

**Please forgive me for taking so long to post this chapter guys, I've just been too busy with my friends and family to get on the internet or even type on the computer but I was fine with that because now I've become an aunt four times! My four closest friends have had babies over the last four months (And now they want me to follow I was like errr no thank you I'm barely even nineteen) one of them even called their son Jack lol. The others are Archie, Charlie (she's a girl) and my goddaughter Amelia-Rose. Yay me! Anyway, on with the chapter, it's a bit of a filler chapter sorry.**

"We have to keep moving." Booth hacked persistently at branches that had whipped against his face as they trudged through the forest. April's whimpers had become silent from the exhaustion of her mind and body. They'd been walking through the forest for a long time. She had no idea what the time was or how long they'd been striding in an unclear path. She glanced across at her friend Sarah who had the same look of despair that Agent Booth was wearing. They were both not going to stop until they found Dr. Brennan and Dr. Fowler. Personally, all she wanted to do was sit down and curl up in a ball, never to move again.

"We need to stop. This is pointless, it's dark, and we have no idea where we are or where they are. We need to stop." She puffed and leant against a tree. The other two continued to stride. She wondered if they had even heard her.

"Hey!" she had their attention. Sarah's head snapped in her direction, and Booth's wearily followed.

"This was a bad idea. We should've called for help and stayed at the campsite." She finally caught her breath, but there was still a pain inside of her that could never be fixed.

"If we stayed at the campsite we would've been gunned down by the rebels April." Sarah spoke in a firm tone that was supposed to make April sound like an idiot. Dr. Brennan often used that same voice, but with Dr. Brennan it was different because the poor woman had no idea what she was doing. April shook her head.

"Well there's no point in walking and walking. We have no idea where we are going, we aren't marking significant landmarks. If we find them what kind of help will we be? We will be lost, and what if they aren't even in the forest? Huh? Did either of you even think of that? They could've been at the dig site this whole time. The two of them basically lived there; they're probably just getting back now. Or they could be taking the back road to the village up on the peak, we have no idea. This wasn't thought through at all." Booth and Sarah knew that she had raised some good points. They should've called for assistance, made a hidden campsite for the night and begun the search in the first light of the morning.

"So we need to stop. We . . . I just need to stop." April's sobs begun again. Sarah's face softened and she came to the young doctors' side, taking her both her trembling hands and then pulling her into a hug.

"You two sleep. We'll take turns in watching over each other." He decided and secured the area with his torch before sitting up against a tree. For at least an hour he listened to the indecipherable whispers of Sarah to the distraught April until they became silent. After the silence had come thoughts of Bones and Julia were too quick to follow. It was going to be a long night.

* * *

When the first light shone the FBI Agent was abruptly awoken by Sarah who was standing and rearing to go. April on the other hand still looked exhausted, sitting with her legs crossed and sipping on some water to soothe her overworked throat. He stood up and brushed the dirt from his pants whilst Sarah opened the map.

"We've figured out where we are. This is the campsite; over here is the dig site. We figure that we are around about here, give or take a few hundred meters. This map is very poorly drawn but if that peak is there, then there should be a water spring about an hour north. If it's not there we're . . . we're lost." She used emphasis on the last word. They had clearly not thought about their actions the night before, there was no rationality into heading into the forest in no clear direction at nightfall.

"So, we find this waterhole and then what?" he asked in a croaky voice. April stood and handed him the water bottle and he took a few gulps, letting some slide down his sun burnt face and onto his sweaty chest.

"We get cleaned up and then head back to camp. Everyone can't have been killed; surely someone has come back and called for help. Maybe they are there calling for help as I speak." April said and it was her that was first to walk this time.

"If Harrison and Dr. Brennan aren't at the camp, I'm coming back out here. You in?" Sarah spoke in a hushed tone making sure the tanned woman of Hispanic descent didn't hear. Booth nodded in agreement and passed the archaeologist the water bottle before picking up his bag.

Time passed slowly as they begun to head north.

"So Agent Booth, what is your real reason for coming to see Dr. Brennan?" April asked. She no longer wanted to think of the masses of bodies that were strewn over the place she'd called home for two months. She wanted to speak of something else, she didn't want to feel the pain of losing all those villagers that had been so humble to her and the team and she didn't want to think about Dr. Grafton who had been her professor and more importantly her best friend for several years.

"I just came for a visit." He lied and whacked a branch out of this face, then held it back so the two women could get through the gap between the two huge trees. April's eyebrows raised and she shook her head.

"Are you the FBI Agent from her books? Agent Andy Lister. You know those books kept me entertained on those hot humid nights back when we were in Peru. She gave me the whole series." A smile crept onto her face when Booth didn't answer the question. Sarah rolled her eyes. This was unbelievable, Dr. Brennan had the guy back in civilization and she also had the guy that she wanted while she was in South America. She wondered if they saw what Dr. Brennan was really like. Did they even notice that she was a socially awkward woman who put her work before anything else?

"Oh my god you are. I do not understand that woman. Why would she leave something like Andy Lister behind and come here? And why did you take so long to come and see her? Andy Lister would've come within weeks." she felt like she was speaking to herself because it seemed the other two weren't even listening anymore.

"They are fictitious novels." Booth spoke with annoyance. This April woman had a lot of similarities to an artist that he knew. April took the water bottle from Sarah's hands and took a lengthy sip.

"Well he's got to be based on someone." She said. The conversation ended once that all saw what lay behind the shrubbery before them. They heard the trickling water down the moss laden rocks and down into the dark depths of a water spring. The two women both dropped to their knees and splashed water over their grimy faces. The FBI agent was the first to notice the small track barely big enough to fit a vehicle through. He pointed before clearing his throat.

"Is that road marked on the map?" The doctors turned and in unison shook their heads.

"It'll be a road the rebels made. Probably leads to another gravesite." Sarah told him and cupped her hands to pour water over her matted jet-black hair. April gulped and spoke in a trembling voice.

"Or it could be a road to a campsite. It makes sense since this probably their water source." She pointed out and the three became instantly became alert. Sarah came to her feet and pulled April to hers.

"Let's get out of sight." No one was sure who spoke the words but it was on all of their minds. They hid back behind the shrubbery and made no sounds out of fear for a few seconds before April opened the map, breaking the silence with the crinkling of paper.

"So we are where we want to be. If we head South East we should be back at the camp in a few hours. Everything is going to be alright." Her head was no longer clouded once she knew exactly what she was going to do. Knowing exactly what was going to happen had always brought her comfort.

Ten minutes later they were headed in a clear direction, avoiding the beaten down track that continued to cross their paths. Once again they were and all that could be heard was the wildlife and there even breaths. Booth was once again able to think about the choices he had made and the choices that he had to make by the end of this trip. The thought chain was broken when he heard a thud. The FBI agents attention turned to the African American woman who lay crumpled on the floor of the Amazonian forest.

"Sarah!" April squealed and tried to help the woman up who in turn hastily pushed her friend away to get up herself.

"I'm fine." She snapped.

"You're bleeding." April pointed at her shirt and reached forward to inspect the wounds. Sarah looked down at her top and her eyes became wide in horror before she pulled the shirt up and over her head in panic. What was strange is that she didn't feel any pain.

"It's not me. It's probably just an animal's blood." She sighed in relief and then dropped her shirt to the ground in disgust.

"It's fresh." April noted and then looked at the FBI Agent who was kneeling on the ground taking a closer look at something unnatural for a forest.

"What?" Sarah asked. Booth then held up a novelty toy for the two to see.

"Is that a smurf?" April asked in confusion.

* * *

Julia's sneakers squeaked along the long corridors of the hospital. It had been a long nightshift for her. She could see the three faces that she'd come to know peering through a glass window a few meters ahead. She took a deep breath and joined them to be greeted by the bug and slime guys beaming smile.

"Julia. Have you seen my boy?" he asked and eagerly pointed through the glass like an excited child. She patted him on the back in congratulations and saw the small body's fists ball up and punch aimlessly in the air.

"How's Angela?" she asked. Hodgins seemed to go off into his own world when he saw the nurse heading into the nursery. He wanted to hold the infant again for the sixth time in that hour.

"She's sleeping." Cam informed her and turned to watch Hodgins hold the baby.

"I recently studied the" the forensic anthropologist begun only to be interrupted again. These interruptions had only become more frequent and it was really starting to press his buttons.

"Not now Zacharoni, let's just enjoy the moment."

"Well, well, well, Julia. I thought you were supposed to be off on a honeymoon." Julia rolled her eyes and turned around, already knowing who the voice belonged to. She turned to see his smug smile and crystal blue eyes.

"Greg. What do you want?" she snapped and rubbed her eyes in exhaustion. She couldn't deal with him at the moment. She was tired physically and emotionally. Cam took Julia's tone of voice as a sign to leave. She linked her arm with Dr. Addy's and he looked down at the contact in confusion.

"Let's go down to the cafeteria, I'm starving." She suggested and pulled him off toward the elevator.

"I don't understand, I thought you wanted to enjoy the moment?" he was clueless.

"Let's enjoy the moment over here. Way over here." She said and pressed the elevator's button.

"Did you finally come to your senses and realize that I'm the love of your life? You know that FBI Agent was supposed to be the revenge, the rebound guy, the fling, whatever you want to call it. I knew you'd come around." The doctor basked in his egotistical ways.

"I can't deal with you right now Greg." Julia walked away only to be followed by him.

"Julia, I've already apologized to you a million times. What more do you want from me?" Greg complained. Julia spun to face him; her face was inches from his. She promised she wouldn't fall under his charm again.

"I want you to leave me alone and get out of my life." Her voice wavered on its own accord. Greg shook his head.

"I can't do that Julia baby; we're supposed to be together. You and I both know it. It was you and I that were supposed to make that trip down the aisle. We're supposed to spend the rest of our lives together." Greg whispered into her ear so she had to turn away. Even with her back to him she could see the look that he had on his face. She also knew that he looked at no other woman the way that he was looking at her at that moment.

"No. I'm engaged. I'm in love with another man." She stated. She was sure that she was in love with another man; Seeley Booth was the love of her life. He was her fiancé, and she was certain that he would never sleep with a peds nurse while she was performing surgery just down the hall. She wouldn't admit that there was a small amount of doubt in the back of her mind that Booth was the wrong man that was going to stand at the end of aisle but she just put that down to pre-wedding jitters, a good old case of cold feet.

A firm hand grasped her arm and in one swift movement she had been spun around and pinned up against the wall. Before she had time to process what was happening lips had crashed against hers. Out of familiarity her eyes fluttered shut before she realized who she was kissing. She pushed the man back and slapped him hard across the face before storming off down the hall with haste. She didn't know how else to react to his animalistic ways.

She now knew without a doubt the man she was destined to spend the rest of her life with.

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**Did you like? Please review! This chapter was supposed to bring a buildup for the next few chapters, hopefully it was worth the wait. Anyway the next chapter is basically done. it's just going to need a bit of tweaking. I'll try to get it up as soon as I can. Please tell me if I've made any mistakes in this chapter with facts or like spelling mistakes.**


	9. Harrison's Battle

_**Chapter Nine: Harrison's Battle **_

**Again, thank you so much for the reviews! This chapter is supposed to be suspenseful because I thought after months of leaving this sit on my computer, it needed it. It's like a guilt chapter. Anyways, I think I better wrap it up soon, I mean nine chapters is a lot. Maybe there should be a sequel to wrap up the loose ends after this adventure who knows. Oh, and my love goes to anybody who can think of a better name for this story. When I begun this I had no idea of an appropriate name.**

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His footsteps fell in an even and persistent pattern across the Amazonian floor; he was running in fear of what had just occurred. His arm was throbbing from his open wound but he ignored it as he battled through the plant life. It wasn't until a branch hit him across the face that he stopped; it had acted like a slap across the face. _Get yourself together. You have to go back. _His mind was telling him but his body wasn't listening as he backed into the shadows of a tree. He could still hear the furious yells of his captors. _GO BACK!!! GO BACK!!!! _His mind was screaming as he disappeared deeper and deeper into the forest.

Once again he stopped. His lips were chapped, he was dehydrated and had the urge to throw up. The smell of gasoline reeked on his torn and dirt-caked clothing.

_GO BACK!!! GO BACK!!!! You're a pathetic excuse for a man. A real man would go back and fight. A real man would save her from being burnt to death. You aren't a man. _His father's voice was in his head as his world begun to spin. The man reached for a tree for some stability, his hand bloody and shaking. He was seeing in double vision so his hand didn't land exactly where he had planned. The action led him to land flat on the forest floor. The anthropologist was too weak to move again. That was when he slipped into unconsciousness.

_Bang Bang. It's a gun. We're suddenly surrounded. There's more than one gun. What are they saying? I don't know what you're saying. She's talking. She's begging for her life. I think she's begging for her life. I don't know what she's saying but it's written all over her face. A knife. I see the glint. Its too late. Pain. They don't like her words. The pain is consuming my everything. Someone is pulling. Pulling. I can't see her anymore. Temperance! Temperance! Now I'm on the ground. How many are there? One. Two. Three? Three? No, there's definitely four. There are four of them over top of me. One's hands manage to enter my pockets. They take my pocket knife and it is quick to disappear.  
I freeze when I see I'm staring down the barrel of the gun. Screams. That's not me. Is it? No. It's her. Temperance. Tempe. Now she's crying. She's crying in desperation. It's coming from the truck. I turn my head in the direction of the truck only to come face to face with a boot. More pain. It's dark. Why is it dark? My eyes are closed. Open your eyes. No. I don't want to. Don't. The engine starts. I'm cold. Wood. I'm laying on wood. I'm moving. I'm on the truck. There's a hand on my face. Pain. It's soft, not gruff. It's her. My eyes are open. Temperance is next to me. She's touching my nose. Tears. Her eyes are blotched. I want to touch her. I want to hold her. I want to tell her everything's going to be okay. It's not. It's not going to be okay. We're going to die.  
My hands are tied. She's whispering. What is she saying? I don't know. She's cut short. A man. He's holding her back now, by the hair. She is taken aback by the sudden movement. We're stationary. And just like that she's gone again. my voice. I hear it. I'm calling for her. My name is barely decipherable in her screams but I hear it. She's begging for her life again. Silence. Many hands pull me. They're pulling me, thud. I taste dirt, dirt and blood. Why is it so silent?  
Shadows. Too many to count. I'm seeing double. My nose and right arm are throbbing. What hurts more? I can't tell. A can? I think they have a can. Are they going to give me water? Are they going to clean my wounds? No. I know that smell. Gasoline. It seeps into my wounds. I hear her again. My head snaps into the direction of her voice. Thud. She trips over her own footing as she is literally kicked out of one of their tents. My shadows laugh and forget about me. She stands, but not in time to run. Hands grab and now she is shirtless. I want to shoot them. I want to kill them all. I can't. I can't move. Yes. Yes I can. I stand. She's screaming. What is she saying?  
Run. Yes, she wants me to run. No. I can't leave. Run. Run. Run Harrison. Run! Run! Bang. I see her eyes. Even from back here I see the terror in her eyes. She's on the ground again. The shadows turn to me. They're done with her. I run. Bang. Bang. Bang. I keep running._

It was night. Harrison lay motionless on the ground, listening to the sound of his breath. It wasn't for a few more seconds that he realized it wasn't just his breathing that he was hearing. Something was rustling, and heading in his direction. Maybe it was an animal? It had to be a pack of animals. There was more than one. He tried to pull himself up but his right hand collapsed beneath his weight, causing him to land on his face. Dr. Fowler screamed out in agony.

"Shush. There's something out there." He could hear English. These men didn't speak English therefore it had to be someone else. Harrison had to take his chances. The man felt empty. He had cared for his partner and now she was dead. Even if these English people weren't on his side and he was killed anyway, he wouldn't care. Leandro, the love of his life, was dead. And so was Temperance. It was over for him.

"Help. Please. Help me." Whispered words escaped his mouth. He could taste the dried blood on his lips. It had to be from his nose, he assumed. There was silence. There was not a movement in the forest. Harrison froze, waiting for what was to come next. Hopefully it was death. A light shone above him, then it meandered onto him. Shadows. He saw shadows. Shit.

"Harrison!" he knew that voice. He couldn't place the voice until he saw her face. Sarah Raymond. He couldn't help but smile. The torch was lowered as Sarah let droplets of water drip into his mouth. He licked it up gratefully before she pulled him into a hug. She had survived, oh that's right - she wasn't at the camp. Neither was April. Sure enough, he could see Aprils distinguishable boots. They were the ones with the butterflies drawn steadily in felts. It was her nieces 'gift' to her before she came to Brazil.

April knelt down to his height to join in on the hug.

"I'm so glad the two of you are okay." he managed to say between tears. He was crying, but he still noticed that the girls had company in the form of a man with a gun whose face was covered with worry. Harrison closed his eyes and ignored them whilst pulling both women into a bigger hug.

"Are you okay? They didn't get at you two did they?" he asked. Sarah pulled back and cupped his face in her hands before shaking her head. Tears rolled down her face.

"No. we're fine. We're all going to be fine. Now we can head back to Porto Velho and get you to a hospital. Everything is going to be okay." he nodded numbly. Maybe everything WAS going to be okay. He could get through this if he absolutely had to.

"Where is Dr. Brennan?" the worried man spoke. Harrison gained eye contact with him and shook his head.

"She's dead. They shot her. They shot her this morning." The words caused April to gasp back tears. The stranger turned and his fist meet with the tree that Harrison tried to use for stability hours before. Worried man didn't seem to notice the pain, or his blood dripping from his knuckles as he bent down to his knees and put down his gun to rest his head in his hands.

It was surprisingly April who spoke first. "Your nose is broken. You need to get it reset. Do you have any other injuries?"

"I was stabbed in the right shoulder blade." Both Sarah and April were now at his back, one tore his shirt whilst one held the torch. More water was applied, washing away some gasoline and blood.

"It's deep." April spoke and Sarah hummed in agreement. The stranger sniffed and turned to face Harrison. There was a deep pain in his brown eyes, Harrison noticed by the flicker of the torch. It reminded him of the last look he had received from Temperance.

"Why did they shot her and not you? Why did they leave you here?" he questioned. Harrison's head shook.

"I had . . . . . she told me to run. I had to get out okay? She told me to run." He turned into a blubbering mess and pretended not to notice that the four hands tending to his wounds had left his body, replacing it was nothing but air on the cold water.

"You . . . you . . . just said that she's dead." April spoke. Harrison's head stopped shaking and turned into a nod.

"I know. I saw them shoot her."

"What kind of man are you? You run off and then watched her die?" Worried mans was no longer worried man. His face had morphed into angry man. Harrison feared for his life yet again when his eyes changed to a darker shade of brown.

"You weren't there. You didn't know what it was like. I wanted to kill them all. I wanted to shoot them all after what they did to Tempe but I couldn't. It was at least twenty against one. It . . . it was twenty against one." His voice hushed when he realized how loud that he was speaking.

"I loved her. I didn't want her to die." Four hands were once again tending to the wound.

"I need proof. I need to see her body. I need to put her to rest." Angerman stated. He didn't seem to care if they came with him or not, he had already decided.

"We're did you come from?" he asked and Harrison's hand trembled out a direction.

"Wait. I'm coming." Harrison found himself saying. Sarah's hand landed firmly on his left shoulder and she shook her head.

"No. It's too dangerous. You got away. You can't go back." She tried to be her voice of reason.

"Sarah I need to see her. I need say that I'm sorry." He had decided also. Angerman glared at him for what seemed like ten minutes before his face softened. He was now not worried man or anger man. He was just a man looking for closure. As was Harrison.

"Fine. But you keep out of my way okay?"

"I'm coming too." Sarah hastily decided.

"What?" this was Aprils outspoken voice. Was she the only sane person here?

"I need to make sure Harrison gets out of this safely." Sarah gave her reasoning.

"Are you all trying to get yourself killed? I get that you want to make sure that Temperance is really dead before we go back but Harrison . . . you saw her get shot. . . . This morning. She'll be dead by now. Who knows what those horrid men have done to her body now. We need to go back and report this to the Embassy and . . . you're all stupid. You're going to get yourselves killed over a body. I can't . . . I have a family at home. I . . . have a kid at home." April decided and turned away.

"Sarah. Go with her. She shouldn't be alone." Harrison pulled himself to his feet with the help of the African American woman.

"I don't have a family to go back to." Sarah's voice was small. April took her hand.

"You should meet my kid. My niece, she's amazing. Come on. Please. Let these two find the woman that they love okay. It's their battle." April begged.

"I'll see you later Sarah. Send for help. Okay?" Harrison and Sarah shared a brief hug before April led her back in the other direction, guided with the map.

It was now just the two men, standing in silence. Harrison watched the place where his two apprentices once stood before turning to the man.

"I never caught your name. Harrison Fowler." He outstretched his good hand only to have the stranger turn away and walk in the opposite direction.

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**Well? Reviews please. The more reviews, the sooner the next chapter will be posted. Oh, and don't forget, love goes to the person who comes up with a better title.**


	10. The Angels And The Memory

**Better title anyone? **

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_They've left me. They've left me to die. And as I lay here I find that all the logic in my head is gone and I also find myself glad that they've gone . They've had their way with me time and time again. It is done and I am empty. And I am battered. _

_My limp body has been left lying in my own blood and mud to die a slow and painful death. Anything would be better than one more minute in the presence of the devils men. I manage to move the huge weight that is my head to the side. There's my hand. I am certain it is my hand. My fingers twitch. Yes. It's my hand. Now it's fuzzy. My hand is now a pink blob. I see red._

_Then I feel the pain. The pain consumes me. I hear a scream. It's me. I'm sure it's me. I don't care if anyone or anything can hear me. I just want this weight to be lifted from my weak body. My eyes lull shut. It's blood. The red is blood. I can taste it. I can almost feel it being drained from me. _

_These are my final moments. Do I have any regrets? Yes. I have so many. My father – I want learn to be his daughter again. My brother – I want to share the joy he feels in his girls. I want to be part my family again. The lab – I want to be back at my workplace with my true passion. Angela – I want to hold her child and watch him grow into a young man. Booth – I want to let myself love him, in every sense of the word. No. I want to meet his wife and make sure that she makes him happy._

_I want to go home and I most certainly do not want to die._

_I wonder if my life will flash before my eyes. I hope not – I cannot live through the missed opportunities, or the pain I went through as a girl. These are my final moments. Is there a god? Will I go to this heaven? No. There isn't a god. Death is making my mind . . . weird. Weird? Is that the only word I can think of? Okay, I'm dying. I don't think my choice of words in my final moments matters much._

_There is no red. I see the tree canopy. In my life did I take the time to take in the natural beauty of the earth? There is no chance for that now. There is so much I am going to miss out on. Oh god. I do not want to die. Please. Don't let me die. _

_These are my final moments. _

_Heaven. I am in heaven. I see angels. Two faces that I thought I would never see again. They are beautiful to me. Are they screaming at me? I cannot hear them. I attempt to reach out and touch them but my hands do not follow my mind. Yes. They are most definitely screaming at me. I can hear them like I'm underwater._

_I see my mother. She's waving at me. Is she beckoning me? She looks angelic. She hasn't aged a day. She looks exactly as I remember her as a young girl. The rest of my surroundings become clear. I know where I am. We're in the indoor pool, the one a few blocks from my childhood home. We would get a free pass because Russ would help with the maintenance and swimming class's afterschool. 'Marco!' she's calling. 'Polo!' another voice. It's Russ. I see me. She's the adolescent me, awkwardly floating in the water with a huge grin on my face .Is this life flashing before my eyes? This is the last day of childhood. It was Christmas Eve .There is snow falling outside. My teenage self slips under the water. I want to sit with my mother but I'm interrupted._

"Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!"

_Their voices are saying that they will help me._

_I have a sense that I am floating. As I float the unbearable pain is lifted from my shoulders. Everything is okay now. I am at peace now. This must be heaven. No. The angels are disappearing. I am floating away from God's angels. Am I going back to my memories? It's dark. I don't see anything. I don't see the two men or my mother. It's nothing but darkness. I don't want this to be all that I see. I want to go back to something. Anything. _

_Something is pulling me back. My body that was once cold is warm. It is dark but I feel the warmth. I like the warmth. It feels familiar to me. But the pain is back. The unbearable pain is again burdened upon me. I am not dead yet. I taste the blood once more. I can see the dense forest but I cannot see the ground._

_Harrison. Harrison is in front of me. He's leading the way. Am I flying? No. That's impossible. _

_Where has all my logic gone? _

_There is not a heaven. I am hallucinating. Harrison is not an angel. He is a man. Harrison's battered face looks back at me as I move through the Amazon. He looks worried. I find myself worried for him. His nose is clearly broken, his shirt drenched in blood. Is it my blood?_

_I start to feel numb and my head rolls instinctively into the warmth. I know this warmth. I know this smell. I do not need to look up to know who is carrying me to safety before I die. It's him. He came for me. My mind has regained the power of movement in my hands, however slow they are. The left hand is raised and it reaches its destination. His face. I am too weak to look up but the facial construction I am building with my hand does not fail me. I'm certain it's him. I picture his older face in my mind. He came for me._

_I do not care that he's married. I take comfort in the fact that I, Temperance Brennan, the awkward pariah, can love and will be loved._

_I have to fight. I have something to fight for. I have something to live for. I am not going to die. I will survive. I will go back to DC. I will see my family and my friends. I will get to live. I will love and be loved._

* * *

"What is she saying?" Booth cautiously leaned forward toward the couple. Harrison had her pallid body shielded in his arms and was tenderly wiping her wounds with a damp rag. Booth felt slightly jealous and hurt in the action. Harrison cared deeply for his Bones, it was written all over his face. The Agent wished that he and Harrison could trade positions even if it was just for a few minutes. Harrison didn't hear Booth's words. All his thoughts were directed towards Temperance. The moment was interrupted by Sarah, who had suddenly become the unlikely nurse to all the wounded.

"This is the last of the bandages. April's trying to get a frequency on the truck radio but it's not working. We really need to get her to a hospital." Sarah stressed. She didn't like Dr Brennan, everyone knew that fact. But she didn't want her to die. She handed Harrison the medical supplies and sat down next to the FBI Agent, who now had his head in his hands.

"We can't just sit here." Booths outburst didn't scare any of his companions. Over the brief 72 hours since he'd known them they found that when it came to the forensic anthropologist, he was quite unpredictable in his choices.

"We have to. April and I almost got caught by the rebels, do you know how frightening it was to push the truck into the forest so we wouldn't get caught. I thought we were going to die. I thought that they were going to do to us what they did to Dr. Brennan. I . . . We have to wait until April gets hold of the Embassy. They'll send for us. We can't go on that road and risk being caught by the rebels. If we go on that road Dr. Brennan won't be the only one who's going to die." Sarah looked at Harrison and then at the FBI Agent. Both their faces looked worn down, both with agonized eyes. _Dr. Brennan sure does have a hold on both of these men._

Her thoughts are shortened as the silence is broken by the woman herself. She is groaning and whispering. The whisperings were undecipherable by Sarah or Seeley. Both of them were eager to hear her words as they leaned in closer. Harrison noticed their movements and broke his gaze from Temperance's eyes.

"I think she's murmuring about angels." Harrison informed them and went back to giving her his undivided attention.

"I'm having no luck with the radio. Agent Booth, can you give me a hand?" April appeared from the bushes in obvious stress. Booth looked at Bones for a moment before he came to his feet. There was nothing that he could do for her; Harrison was taking care of her now.

Booth had no luck with the radio either. Every frequency was static. All of his hope and his faith in god had temporarily gone out the window. How were they going to get to a hospital in time? They were 80kms north of Porto Velho. There was no chance they could make it in the truck without being caught, and by foot (ducking for cover when they heard hollers from the rebels in their beaten up wagon,) it would take time Bones didn't have.

"Agent Booth." Sarah was now by his side. He muttered an answer, still pondering his thoughts of doom.

"She's asking for you."

It didn't take long for Temperance to be shifted from Harrison's arms to Booths. Harrison was wearily taken from his post to the truck so he could rest and have his own wounds dealt to by his colleagues. It was a few moments before a word was spoken, as Booth struggled to find the right word to say after five years apart.

"Don't look so worried Booth. Everything is going to be alright." Her words were faint. He had to lower his head to hear her clearly. He still couldn't manage to find the right words to say. Usually it had been Booth who had provided the comfort, but now the roles had changed.

"I'm not going to die."

Booth's eyes connected with hers for the first time in years. Her face had changed slightly with age, but her eyes were exactly the same. He didn't realize that he was crying until his tears dripped onto her battered face. He wiped his face with his free hand and nodded.

"You're not going to die." He repeated her words and tried to seek comfort in them but there was no prevail. He didn't believe it. She was circling the drain; it was surprising that she had come back into consciousness.

"You don't believe me." Temperance brought herself to raise her trembling hand to his chest, grabbing at the fabric of his torn shirt. She desperately wanted him to believe her.

"I'm not going to die. The angels saved me. . . I realized something important about myself in the hell of today Booth." Her voice became frailer by the word. His head lowered a fraction more. Her labored breath brushed against his face.

"I can love. I know I can. I after today I do not fear being loved. There is so much more to fear than love. I know I can do it. I will be loved and I will love." Booth listened to her hallucinations and pulled her limp body up into his chest to hold her.

"Pray for me Booth. Pray that the angels will protect me." Were the last words that she spoke that night.


End file.
